


Up Above and Down Below

by x_Oath_x



Series: Series of Drabbles [8]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, M/M, enjoy i guess, i welcome you to "no originality whatsoever" verse, i wrote part of this when i was 13-14 and had no clue wtf i was doing so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-04-19 10:17:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14235120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/x_Oath_x/pseuds/x_Oath_x
Summary: Riku just wants to fade into the background of his new school and Sora just wants to save his underwater kingdom from Riku's brother.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I think that this is probably the fic I am able to reread without cringing the most. It's kind (not really) straightforward in the plot (unlike First Love) and didn't seem to involve too many unnecessary elements (like Three Becomes One). I know I have more excerpts for this one, I just... really have no clue where they are.
> 
> I wrote this one nearly word-for-word with slight edits for spelling and clarifications.

Roxas’ eyes had seen too much. They were dull, glossy. Nothing like the vibrant blue of ever-changing emotions that once was one of his most defining features. Sephiroth had broken him.

He was nothing more than a poster king now. Roxas’ heart ached for his people. Oh, how lively and beautiful his home was before the invasion. He longed for the days when he hand his family would swim through the capital city. How every turn was met with cheerful greetings and warm smiles; for so long, he had considered them his favorite part of their weekly swim through the city.

And Sora… oh… Sora….

If he closed his eyes, he could see it. The scared and desperate expression Sora had when the powerful current swept Sora away from his outstretched hands was the only thing that stirred emotion other than despair. Anger. Sorrow. Hurt.

Roxas couldn’t help but wish that Sora was still here by his side. Maybe… just maybe -

No. Roxas shifted himself to sit straighter on his throne. He would never subject Sora to this. Never.

* * *

 

Sora curled himself deeper into his make-shift home; it was an underwater cave not too far from the beach and not too deep that he wouldn’t be able to tell the time.

He hid his human clothes, bookbag, and school supplies in a secret nook in the nearby docks It was better this way; it had taken him forever to dry his things when he had first made the mistake of taking them to his true home the first time. But he was learning. He was getting better at acting like a human. If he could keep this up for just a while longer, than he was sure he could create a plan to save his brother and his kingdom.

He had earned the sympathy of a sailor who gave him a weekly pay of 2000 munny for helping to bring his boat to sea. It was easy, really. Asking the always eager waves to do his bidding didn’t take much of his power now that he had been doing it so much.

Luxord, the sailor, always wondered how he did it so fast. One day, Sora might tell him… one day.

He yawned and a few bubbles escaped from his mouth. Sora settled himself down into the pile of seaweed he had crafted into a bed. Stretching, he felt himself relax. A sudden thought about the new student briefly interrupted his attempt to sleep.

The new boy had looked familiar, but where had he seen him before? Just as quickly as he thought that, Sora resigned himself to letting the thought go in favor of sleep…

* * *

Riku threw the door open and lazily tossed his backpack to the side. While he took off his shoes, he called out into the house, “Sephiroth? I’m home!”

Silence responded to him. The young man didn’t mind too much; his older brother was often nowhere to be found. Especially so at the time when he arrives home from school.

“Oh… sorry.” Riku apologized, but Sora’s frown didn’t disappear. They stared at each other a while before Sora nodded. Riku took is as a sign of forgiveness. The taller teen knelt down beside Sora to help in picking up his fallen items. When he looked up at the other, he was caught of guard by the look of surprise he was receiving. Thinking he was doing something wrong, Riku put his hands up in a defensive manner. “Sorry!”

Sora blinked at him weirdly before smiling and giving what Riku supposed was a silent laugh since the other’s shoulders were bobbing up and down. Then, he made a dismissive hand wave and went back to gathering his stuff. Smiling in return, Riku helped Sora pick up the remaining items off the floor and into his basket. When they were done, they both stood up and faced each other.

Sora still had his smile on his face as he waved farewell. It was when Riku had been watching the other’s retreating back for a minute that he realized he was staring. Still smiling to himself, Riku went back to browsing the food shelves.

He couldn’t help but to think that Sora wasn’t as bad to be around as people had made him out to be at school. He acted like any other person would, if only just a bit quieter than expected.

Riku’s eyes lazily dueled on this name brand and that name brand. Honestly, the only difference between them was that one was more expensive – there wasn’t much of a reason to deliberate on a choice.

It was when he reached forward to grab a jar of peanut butter that he saw a rush of colors run by the end of the aisle out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head fully to stare after the colors, a dropping feeling forming in his stomach because he had recognized at least two of those colors.

Brown. White.

Sora. Seifer.

Grocery shopping forgotten, Riku pretty much threw his basket to the floor in favor of running after the group. By the time he had caught up with them behind the store, Riku and worked up a fair bit of his anger towards the bully. No doubt Sora had collided with Seifer by accident and Seifer, being as dramatic and annoying as he was, is probably going to use the opportunity to justify his actions.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I found my accordion folder filled all my plot notes and stuff from my old/unwritten fics. It's HUGE. I'm considering typing them all out and posting them, tbh. They'd be telling (what i planned for) the story in bullet point form and the occasional excerpt. I was always better at planning stories than actually writing...
> 
> I HEAVILY edited these. First off, the random cuts are something I kept from the original writing... simply because I have no clue where they are in terms of the story's timeline. The way I used to write back then was writing an excerpt until I had no more words, and then I'd create a new scene and start writing that until I couldn't and repeat. Sometimes, I would continue from where I had left off before, too. I can kind of guess what part of the plot they're from, but not enough to give details on what exactly I was going for.
> 
> I also edited a lot of stuff that was in Sora's POV. In the original, he was VERY bitter and pessimistic about the human race as a whole. Given his situation it was understandable, but not really in character. Instead, I went for an increasingly frustrated Sora who's trying his best but is not having a good time™. I also built upon traits and abilities of merpeople that I'll lay out in the end notes.
> 
> I think I'm going to have fun sharing my old stuff... if only to further emphasize the fuckery my younger self was on.

Flipping his tail, Sora hastened to lead Riku down into a cavern he discovered that opened up to air. Riku tried to help with the speed, but his legs were no match for Sora’s tail so he let it be. The opening soon came into view behind a small forest of coral.

After carefully helping each other maneuver around it, they found themselves in the cave. Sora pulled Riku up to the surface much to the human’s relief. Once they broke the surface, Riku gasped for air while Sora made sure he didn’t go under. After getting the air he needed, Riku looked around. The cave’s walls were slimy with water, but looked smooth to the touch. Small ringlets circled te one-way tunnel like a tube. Daylight could be seen at the end.

“Sora, can you pull me over there?” The human pointed at the light. Sora beamed and did as asked without hesitation. Once close enough, the water leveled into land, so once on it, Riku picked the merman up from the water. Sora’s webbed fingers dug into Riku’s shoulder to pull himself closer to the other’s body heat. Riku’s face reddened a bit, but elected to walk forward to the opening of the cave rather than question Sora.

Outside the cave, they quickly realized that they were on one of the islets that could be seen from the main land’s shore.

* * *

 

“’The school is easy to navigate’ he says. ‘You’ll meet someone who’ll help you out and become your friend’ he says. Well, Sephiroth, you fucking lied.” Riku Hakumei growled as he looked between the school map and the indicators above the classroom doors.

* * *

 

Riku’s eyes were wide in disbelief and amazement. Sora, however, could see the struggle in the human’s and swam back, frightened. His blue eyes never left Riku’s form. Seeing that the other was trying to escape, Riku lurched forward.

“Hey, wai-” His movement startled Sora even further, leading to Sora divining under the surface of the water. The words Riku tried to say were only slurred mumbles as Sora swam deeper into the blue abyss.

* * *

 

“Sora,” The brunet faced the his classmate, eyes pleading for Riku to not say the words he knew were coming. Riku saw Sora’s hesitance, but pressed the issue.

“You have to; you’re the only one who can swim strong enough to take us out of the current.”

* * *

 

“Sora!” Roxas shouted as the current threw his twin around. He tried to reach for him, but the brunet was already too far away. He was losing his brother – and Roxas couldn’t stand it. Roxas moved to dive into the current but was held back by Cid.

“No, your majesty!”

Roxas flailed against him and shouted cruel words at him that he didn’t mean. He blinked away his tears, hoping that one of the blinks would lead to him waking up in his room in the castle. He hoped and prayed beyond measure for some sign that this was all just a cruel nightmare his mind had concocted out of his guilt for disobeying his parents.

But when Roxas stopped flailing -

When he had pulled his head up to look forward -

When the screaming and crying from the palace and capital city only grew in volume -

Roxas knew, that he and the rest of his kingdom, was doomed.

* * *

Sighing loudly in exasperation, Riku sat down at an empty table in the school cafeteria. It was very loud with students chatting with their friends and walking around to find a seat to eat lunch. Riku has never been much of a people person, and this was pushing his patience. Why did Destiny High have so many goddamn students?

“Hey, you! New kid!” Riku heard from behind. He turned his head to see a boy with a mop of choppy brown hair, a girl with flowing red hair, and another boy with short red hair that spiked up staring at him. The brunet, the one who had spoken, was glaring at him. “Yeah, I’m talking to you! Who the hell do you thin you are sitting at our table?!”

* * *

As Riku walked down the hall, he paid no mind to the hasty footsteps he heard ahead of him until he collided with their owner.

* * *

 

The current was strong. Sora could see that just from a glance. Could he really swim through that? It was one thing to swim through the weaker currents of the ocean for fun; it was another to swim through a rushing river to stop a boat full of children from crashing into rocks. It wasn’t like he could use his powers to stop a one-way river, either. Such things only worked when he had his brother by his side and… Roxas wasn’t.

As if sensing his doubt, Riku put a hand on his shoulder which made him turn to Riku.

“You can do it I know it. I’ve seen you swim and this is nothing compared to what you can do,” Riku whispered, his expression soft and encouraging. “You just have to direct the flow enough to get us close to shore. Then, we’ll use the rope to tie us down, okay?”

Still a little unsure, Sora nodded and started to take off his clothing until he was stripped to nothing but his underwear. His classmates protested and jeered, but he ignored them as he activated the magic in his necklace to start the transformation.

Sora dove into the water face first. The welcoming rush of water to his face was a relief to his throat. After a moment was given for the transformation to end, Sora quickly gave chase to the runaway boat. He could do this. He will do this!

For Riku.

* * *

In the far corner of the cafeteria, Riku could see the student who had collided with him in the hall sitting at a table alone. Kairi followed his gaze, but frowned when she saw who was at the end.

“That’s Sora,” She said, “He’s pretty weird.”

Wakka snorted. “Weird? Try ‘a freak’.”

Riku’s eyebrows furrowed. That was a bit harsh considering the boy didn’t look out of the ordinary. If anything, he looked really simple with his messy brown hair and blue eyes. The only odd thing about him was how much of a wide berth people gave him and his table.

When he voiced this, Tidus scoffed. “Trust me, he’s a weird one. He never speaks, not even when the teachers tell him to, so he’s always getting in trouble.”

“He never participates in anything to do with water. It’s kind of strange since he’s always carrying one and drinking from it.” Kairi added, her expression uneasy. Beside her, Namine nodded.

“He only just started school about a month ago. No one knows where he lives or who his parents are. It’s like he just exists only to attend school and then disappears like a ghost.” The blonde girl said.

Riku’s frown didn’t disappear. On one hand, he could see how all of that makes for the students calling him weird. On the other, nothing about what was said really constituted the full-on shunning the poor boy seemed to received.

He didn’t get to comment on this when Wakka interjected with, “Remember that day he ate fish at lunch? He threw up, didn’t he?”

Kairi nodded, twirling her fork. “I think he tried to not come to school on days fish is served afterwards, but ended up getting in trouble for it.”

Riku blinked at hearing this. “What do you mean by that?”

“Destiny Island’s biggest export is fish. The school buys heaps of it in bulk from the docks because it’s cheap. We have fish for lunch like, three times a week.”

All the more reason for Riku to pack his lunch.

* * *

 

Sora was alone in this strange, human world. Ever since he had escaped from the attack on his home, he has been alone.

The ocean wasn’t safe to be in all the time unless he was constantly moving. But Sora didn’t want to do that – running away from his problems. He wanted to go back and fight, but he couldn’t. Not without a plan or supplies. When he had arrived at the shores of Destiny Island, exhausted and aching, Sora had decided he’ll create a human persona. His enemy was human and he needed some sort of weakness he could exploit from the species. 

His magic wasn’t perfect. While Sora’s spell had indeed given him human legs, lungs, and the ears he would need to walk among them, there was still parts of his disguise that gave away his true nature.

It all started when he had first donned his disguise and ventured into the town for recon. Apparently, teenage humans could not walk around unattended during school hours. In a hot, skip, and a jump, Sora found himself being escorted by a police officer to the local high school to be enrolled. That brought itself its own array of problems, namely his speech.

Sora was forced to accept that he was considered mute by a human’s standards. Every time he was scolded harshly by an adult or mocked by a teenage human, he clenched his teeth in anger. A part of him wanted to completely forgo his morals, but his voice was not meant for human ears unless he was willing to deal with the fallout of his magic killing those in vicinity.

The way humans prepared their food gave his stomach averse reactions that he wasn’t entirely sure how to handle. It was a while before he was able to stomach the less processed foods, but their fish was a big no. Sora will simply hunt before going to school and going to bed because he refused to spend the day vomiting to keep up appearances.

He slowly adjusted to what a human teenager was expected to do: attending school, going to the store, working every now and then…

But Sora felt like he hasn’t gotten any closer to his goals. He was on a faraway island while his people and brother were out there, suffering. And all the people of this forsaken island could do was stare at him and whisper behind his back.

Sora was alone.

* * *

 

_The blood will attract predators… I don’t have the strength to fend them off and I don’t think I can even swim fast enough to escape!_

His blue tail glittered with red fluid. Whenever he tried to move, pain would erupt throughout his body and stop him cold. His claws dug into rocks he had pulled himself against when he had managed to escape. Now, he was leaning his weight onto with his teeth clenched,

He should’ve known better. Sora usually avoids that particular part of the docks, but today, his hunt had led deep into fishermen territory. Figures Sephiroth wasn’t the only merpeople crazy human out there. Cold shivers went down his spine as he remembered the stupefied and greedy looks in their faces when they saw him caught in their net. It had been so scary!

His bad thoughts made the pain spike. Sora hissed through the spike, bracing himself against the rocks. When it finally died down, Sora couldn’t stop himself from sniffling quite pitifully.

What was he going to do?

He was hungry and a fair bit away from his cave. Sora didn’t want to stay in open water for too long in fear of the fishermen or a predator, but he couldn’t stay on land either. He’d be right in the open in his true form. Transforming while he was hurt was a big risk that he wasn’t sure he could take with all that was at stake right now.

* * *

Riku flinched whenever Sora clipped him in the leg in his attempts to free himself. Even while injured, the other boy was stronger than he looked. A particularly strong lurch from Sora sent Riku backing out of the water.

“Hey, please-! Just -” Riku tried to find the words to placate the struggling merman when, quite abruptly, Sora stopped moving to stare out into the ocean. It seemed he didn’t like what he saw because he was suddenly huddling his body closer to Riku’s while staring out with a fearful expression.

Surprised by the change of attitude, the human looked out into the ocean.

He could see a boat pulling to the nearby docks; it was probably bringing in fish by the looks of the net. However, as it drew closer, Riku could see that the net had a hole – a hole too big for a fish, but just enough for Sora to have swam through. His mind came to the realization of what had happened at the same time as his body for the next thing he knew, he was hiding behind the rocks he had found Sora at. When he looked down to check on Sora, he was met with an odd expression from the merman. It seemed like some odd mix of curiosity and contemplation.

Riku couldn’t help but to think the merman looked kind of cute with that expression, but this was not the time and place to have those kinds of thoughts.

“Where do you live?”

Sora’s eyebrows scrunched together before he gazed out into the open ocean. Yeah… while he wants to help out, Riku is not swimming that far out, especially not with an injured merman hanging off of him.

“Okay… do you have a hideaway that’s closer? And not likely to cause me to drown trying to help you get to?” This time, the merman huffed as to say he wasn’t impressed with Riku’s reply. Then, he looked towards a patch of the ocean that was too close to the docks than Riku would’ve liked. The only way Sora could get to whatever was under the water was by swimming underwater, but with his injury, he really shouldn’t even be with the water.

Riku pursed his lips as he thought before coming to an idea. When he smiled, Sora’s expression became confused so Riku enlightened him on his plan. “I’ll take you to my house. I can get there by staying in the ocean and since it’s private property, the boats can’t trespass.”

Sora stared at him a while before nodding his assent. Still smiling, he shifted Sora’s weight in preparation for the long walk ahead and started walking. The other’s claws dug into his skin. Without thinking, he was already saying, “Don’t worry, I got you. They’re not going to get you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally written: 2014-2015
> 
> Traits:  
> Webbed hands + Claws + Fins: The extra skin is inbetween fingers and fins on the forearm.  
> While they are predators and prey on fish, merpeople find competition in sharks, octupi, seals, and other predators of the sea. They also feed on kelp if fish is scarce.  
> Aside from hunting and the occasional war over territory, Merpeople are a fairly peaceful species that prefer to stay within their communities.
> 
> Powers:  
> Capable of transforming (usually done to hide as humans). They need to be hydrated constantly to keep their power up and bodies healthy.  
>   
> All merpeople are capable of manipulating water to an extent, but the royal family can actually call the ocean to do their bidding.  
> I kind of taken some lore about Sirens and added it to Merpeople by having their voices be deadly to hear unless underwater or to attack specific enemies.   
> (Sora also wouldn't be able to understand the people of Destiny Islands normally, so he uses a semi-permanent translation spell)

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written: 2013-2014


End file.
